Bishop Robert Brom (search), who canceled John McCusker's funeral rites after citing a clash between the man's "business activities" and the church's moral teachings, met with the man's family on Monday and "regretfully acknowledged his hasty decision," said McCusker's mother, Christine.

"I apologize to the family for the anguish this has caused them," Brom said in a written , as he is a great advocate of reconciliation and forgiveness."

Some conservatives were disappointed with Brom's reversal.

James Hartline, who said he alerted the bishop to McCusker's gay business interests, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he had spoken with Brom several times about the case and the bishop "emphatically stated to me he would not budge one bit."

Dioceses have sometimes denied funeral Masses for mobsters, including John Gotti. But in other cases across the country, some priests accused of sexual abuse have been granted Catholic funeral services, including John Geoghan, the Boston Archdiocese former priest whose sex-abuse case helped spark the nationwide church scandal